At around 9:20 p.m. that day Sub Lieutenant Nguyen Anh Dung and Sergeant Major Nguyen Hai Quan of the Rach Chiec traffic police were on duty on National Highway 1A in Thu Duc District when they saw a truck encroaching on the motorbike lane.

They signaled the driver to stop, but he ignored the order and sped away.

The officers chased after the truck on their motorbike, overhauled it, and asked the driver, Pham Van Trung, for papers.

Trung, 28, did not have papers, and instead offered them some money to be let off.

Pham Duy Bien, 31, the driver's assistant, suddenly started the engine and drove the vehicle straight at the two officers and their motorbike.

Luckily the officers managed to jump out of the way, but the motorbike was flung some 50 meters down the road.